Pair of incumbents and a newcomer win Ohlone College board race

FREMONT -- Two incumbents and a newcomer appeared to have won the race to capture three open seats on the Ohlone Community College Board of Trustees.

With most votes counted, incumbent Teresa Cox, a Silicon Valley tech executive, led with 34 percent of the vote; while Greg Bonaccorsi, the current Ohlone board chair and a Fremont junior high school teacher, was second with 26 percent. Newcomer Kevin Bristow, coordinator for a foster youth program at Cal State East Bay, was third with 25 percent of the vote.

Bob Brunton, a former Ohlone board member, finished fourth, trailing with 14.6 percent of the vote.

The board of trustees is divided into two areas. Area One represents Newark and precincts in Fremont and Union City west of Interstate 880. Area Two represents precincts in Fremont and Union City east of I-880. The top three vote-getters will capture open seats in Area Two.

Incumbent Vivien Larsen, who was running unopposed, retained her seat in Area One.

Voters also decided on Measure K, which captured nearly 73 percent of the vote. The measure asked whether Ohlone College board elections should switch to "by-area" elections, where voters living in the college district's Area One or Area Two may vote only for candidates residing in those respective areas.

The measure will become effective in November 2014.

It was decided a year after former Ohlone College trustee Nick Nardolillo resigned amid a scandal in which this newspaper found he had been lying for a decade about being a Fremont resident so he could retain elected office.

Currently, Ohlone has at-large elections, meaning that all registered voters in Ohlone's district votes for all board candidates.

Ohlone was recently named the state's fifth-best community college in preparing students to transfer to a four-year university. Still, the college has been forced to make major cuts, drop courses and reduce enrollment.